declension Definition
- 1the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles in order to express their grammatical case, number, and gender
- 2a class of nouns or adjectives that have similar inflectional patterns
Using declension: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "declension" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
In Latin, there are five declensions for nouns.
Example
The declension of the adjective 'good' is 'good, better, best'.
declension Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for declension
Phrases with declension
a group of nouns in Latin that share a common inflectional pattern
Example
The noun 'puella' belongs to the first declension in Latin.
a type of inflectional pattern in Germanic languages where the stem of the noun changes to indicate case
Example
The noun 'foot' has a strong declension in Old English.
a type of inflectional pattern in Germanic languages where the noun is marked with an ending to indicate case
Example
The noun 'book' has a weak declension in Modern English.
Origins of declension
from Latin 'declinatio', meaning 'inflection'
Summary: declension in Brief
The term 'declension' [dih-klen-shuhn] refers to the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to express their grammatical case, number, and gender. It also denotes a class of words with similar inflectional patterns. Examples include the five declensions in Latin and the strong and weak declensions in Germanic languages.